Nut-cracking device.



atented Jan. 2, 1917'.

IIL

FRANK J'. BURKHARDT, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO,

ASSIGNOR TO THE AUTOMATIC NUT CRACKER COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION 0F OHIO.

NUT-CRACKIN G DEVICE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

Application filed March 20, 1915. Serial No. 15,760.

To all whom. it m 1/ concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. BURK- imnn'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nut- Cracking Devices, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of my invention to provide a novel nut cracking device embodying an anvil and a coacting hammer of novel construction and mounted in novel manner and arranged for receiving the nut to be cracked between the anvil and the hammer; further to provide such a device with a surrounding container so arranged as to retain the mits to be cracked or which have been cracked and for preventing the scattering of the particles of shell by arresting the Hight of snch .particles and confining them within the container, the parts being so constructed and arranged that the anvil and hammer cooperate during contact with the nut within the walls of the container.

The invention will be. further readily understood from the following description and claims, and from the. drawing, in which latter.'

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my iinproved device. Fig. 2 is a vertical central cross-section of the same on a line corresponding to the line 2 2 of Fig. 3, and showing the hammer in down position in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a plan section of the same on a line correspondingr to the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of my improved device.

The anvil is shown at 11 and c omprises a block of metal, for instance brass, provided at its top with a depression 12, the wall of which is provided with ribs 13, said ribs being shown extending parallel to the minor axis of the anvil. The wall of the recess is deepest at its middle and slopes upwardly at the sides thereof, merging into the top face of the anvil, and the anvil in cross-section is widest at its middle and is rounded, as shown at 12', at its respective ends.

The anvil is provided with an extension 14 at each end thereof, there being an upright bore 15 in each of these extensions, which is preferably threaded. The extensions are formed as part of the casting of the anvil so as to give the anvil additional weight. Hollow posts 16 are received into and suitably secured, as by screwing the same into the bores 15, these posts being upright posts parallel to each other and are preferably in the form of pipes ha ving bores 17, the proximate walls of the posts being provided with lengthwise slots 1S.

The hammer of the device is shown at 19, and is shown as a block, preferably of cast metal, provided with side. guides guided bv the upright posts. The lower face of the hammer is provided with an upwardly extending recess :20, the wall of which is provided with ribs 21 parallel with the ribs 13. This wall is the nut-striking face of" the hammer and is widest at its middle, being' rounded at each of its ends, as shown at 20. The side-guides of the hammer are formed cross-sectionally with necks 23 which are guided between the walls of the slots 1,8.a1d enlargements Q-L which tit into and" are guided in the bores 17 of the hollow posts, the construction being such that the enlargements act to maintain the upright hollow' posts in proper spaced apart alinement. the walls of the hollow posts being received about these. enlargements for. guiding the same in all cross-sectional directions. The upper ends of the slots are open so as to permit the guides of the hammer to be received in the hollow posts. lVllen so received in the hollow posts, the hammer is maintained therein by stops 25 at the upper ends of the hollow posts, shown as nuts screwed upon the upper threaded ends Q6 of said hollow posts. Before the insertion of said hammer guides in said hollow posts, helical springs Q7 are placed in the bores of the upright hollow' posts, so that when the hammer is in place the springs are below the hammer for normally raising the hammer to its highest point, the upward movement of the hammer being limited by the stops.

The hammer is provided with an upwardly extending stem Q9 having a knob 28 at its upper end of such form as to be arranged to be struck or pushed by the hand of the liserfor pushing the hammer down with force, or a sudden blow` upon the nut, indicated in dotted lines at 3() in F ig. Q, the nut being placed upon the anvil.

The anvil is provided with a laterally extending support 32, forming a. base for the anvil, which may be part of the anvil or be a separate plate, the base-support being shown as a separate plate, to which the anvil is rigidly secured by a screw 533 for holding the anvil and plate rigidly together. This plate is of metal, preferably brass, similar to the metal of the anvil, and surrounds the anvil, being shown as a round plate. The plate is adapted to rest upon the table or the lap of the user or other suitable place.

A container 36 is provided, shown as a container having an annular-ly formed upwardly diverging wall 37 surrounding the anvil and preferably extending above the horizontal plane of the anvil and the horizontal plane of the contact parts of the anvil, hammer and nut being cracked, when the hammer is in nut-cracking position. (See dotted lines in Fig. 2.) This container may be of wood and is formed with a central opening 38, closed by the base 32,- the edge of which latter' is received in an annular groove 39 in the lower edge of the Wall of said opening, and secured in place by screws 40. The container 3G is arranged to receive the nuts that have been cracked as Well as the nuts that are to be cracked. The Wall of the container extending substantially above the horizontal plane of opera.- tive Contact of hammer and anvil, when the hammer is in nut-cracking position, prevents scattering of the particles of shells of the nuts beyond the confines of the container, thereby preventing untidiness and forming a device which is cleanly in use.

Nuts of any size may be cracked by this device and the force oi the blows of the hammer readily regulatcil according to the kind and size ot' the nuts being cracked.

I'Iaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters latent, is:

1. In a nut cracking device, the con'ibination of a metal anvil provided with a surrounding plate-like base at its lower end and with a top nut-supporting surface, posts extending upwardly above. said anvil, a hammer guided in up and down movement by said posts, means for normally retainingr said hammer in upper position, and a nutcontainer surrounding said anvil and provided vvith a surrounding nut-retaining wall extending substantially above said nut-snpporting surface.

2. In a nut cracking device, the combination of a container, and a` nut-supporting anvil received in said container and provided with a surrounding plate-like base received under said container, and said container provided with a Wall surrounding and extending above the horizontal plane of said anvil.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

FRANK J. BURKHARDT.

Witnesses:

CHAs. MAY, MELVYN G. LoEWENsTEIN. 

